B Clarke & Family Butchers has been a fixture on Allerton Road for 36 years.
Its traditional façade, array of produce and its plastic butcher statue make it an eye-catching spot on the South Liverpool road. Neighboured by greengrocers Adam's Apple, with fishmonger B. Shrigley & Son and M. Ray's Bakery just a few doors down, its stretch of the road is a welcome throwback to what feels like a bygone era.
To the other side of the butcher stands an Iceland and a relatively new Sainsbury's Local, while there is a huge Tesco where Allerton Road becomes Mather Avenue. Despite the presence of these supermarkets, which have put paid to plenty of independent businesses up and down the country, Allerton Road's butcher, baker and grocer stand strong.
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Manager Victoria Clarke, whose father Brian Clarke opened the butcher's shop on Allerton Road in 1987, spoke to the ECHO about the evolution she has witnessed over the years she has spent on the road.
She said: " Allerton Road is constantly changing. When I first came here, you had a far wider selection of shops.
"There were a lot more independents - you had the old shops, just on this stretch you had Ethel Austin’s, you had shoe shops - we haven’t got a shoe shop along here any more. There were more speciality shops, it wasn’t just mainly food and there were not as many estate agents."
Despite the recognition that her shop has, the competition from neighbouring supermarkets and changing consumer habits mean that Victoria and her staff have to be industrious and adapt to stay ahead. She said: "People come in and say ‘oh you must be busy’, but you have to work hard.
"It’s not easy and running costs are an added pressure. For example, we started off on the Wirral - I grew up there and what I saw there was shopping areas in small towns, like New Ferry probably had six butchers, a bakers, there were different fruit and veg shops, there was a Kwik Save around the corner, but out of town retail parks opened and it just killed areas. Look at Garston Village since Speke Retail Park opened.
"As far as this area’s concerned, I think we’re very lucky. I could be wrong, but I feel like there’s a lot of loyalty from the people who live around here and they want to support this. There’s a massive sense of community as well, it adds to it. People want to use the smaller shops because they want to keep them."
As the ECHO spoke to Victoria, a woman left with a bag of shopping and said "The meat here is much better than Tesco". Victoria added: "That says it all, doesn’t it?"
"A massive thing that you’ll get in any of the independents is personal service - you won’t get them when you go to a supermarket. Threatened by them? Well they are a bit of a law unto themselves, but hopefully by offering that personal service and offering quality, we can possibly match them."
That feeling of community is also central to how Ethan Woodroofe sees Allerton Road. Ethan is a co-founder of Derek's, a New York-style sandwich and coffee shop that opened on the road in March 2021.
One of the street's newer establishments, Derek's has become a firm favourite for its amazing sandwiches and has amassed a considerable Instagram following. Ethan told the ECHO about what led him and business partner Adam Taylor to setting up shop on Allerton Road.
He said: “Allerton Road is where we grew up, it’s where all our mates used to meet when we were kids. We’d say ‘2pm at Subway’, that’s where we’d meet every week and we’d each try to stretch a fiver across the day.
“Adam and I went to school at King David, which is only up the road. Our dream was always to open something on Allerton Road - this is our stomping ground.
"Derek's came around because our best mate George moved to New York - he lived around the corner from Allerton Road. When we all went to visit him in New York, we all said that we needed something like that back on Allerton Road, we needed to bring that idea of American-style sandwiches and a coffee shop home with us to our neck of the woods."
Ethan believes that the road and its side streets have become a "hot spot for great food", citing Scandinavian-inspired venue Skaus further down Allerton Road, as well as Spire and Piccola on Church Road. As such, he feels little draw to the city centre, preferring to support the street's other independent bars and restaurants.
As well as those mentioned by Ethan, on Allerton Road you can find 'Alehouse and Kitchen' The Three Piggies, small plates at Maray, cafe and bistro Pierre Griffes, while long-standing restaurants Lefteris Greek Taverna, Eastern Diner and Fung Lok remain.
Ethan added: "We don’t have to move off here, we don’t even go to town. If we go out, we go for a drink at The Doghouse (on Church Road), we just love it here.
"Town now is hectic, but when we stay local, we know everyone around here - in all the bars, serving. That’s not just because we own something on Allerton Road, everyone here can say they have a relationship with people who work on this road.
"Most of the owners live around here as well, so it’s just one giant community. We’re all serving each other, all the restaurants, all the bars, all the clients as well. That’s why I love it here."
Despite that independent, community feel, the road is also home to a number of hospitality chains. For other venues on the road, they pose a similar issue as the supermarkets do to Victoria's butcher shop, but Ethan knows that Derek's can count on the support of the local community.
He explained: " We laugh all the time about it - there are four Costa Coffees within a square mile of us and there’s a Subway across the street. People still come to us, even though their coffees might be cheaper.
"They chose to support us, a lot of them love the food and know it is great produce that we pride ourselves on. Our bread is baked by the baker from Plattsville Road, they live just off Allerton Road. People choose to support us because they know our story, they know that we’re from the area and they want to support what we’re doing."
Like Ethan, Dan Cameron grew up around Allerton. Co-founder of the aforementioned Skaus, which opened on the road in November 2020, Dan loves being part of the road's hub of independence.
He told the ECHO : "Allerton Road lives and dies on its community feel; that's the best thing about the area. The street is always filled with familiar faces, tourists visiting sites like Penny Lane, families, students from out of the city.
"It's really eclectic. I think that's what makes it such a great place to operate a hospitality venue. No day is ever the same. It's a major social hub and a street that seems to support itself through the good times and the bad.
"Aside from customers too, the local businesses never hesitate to help each other. We get owners and staff from neighbouring venues popping in the borrow bits or see how things are going on a weekly basis. It's a fantastic support network, rather than everyone trying to get one over each other. I love it."
Dan noted that other suburban South Liverpool streets, like nearby Smithdown Road and AIgburth's Lark Lane are enjoying success, but he does not see this as a threat to Allerton Road. He said: "Lark Lane, Woolton Village, Aigburth Road, Smithdown Road are all extensions of the hospitality scene of South Liverpool; there's definitely room for all of us.
"Alongside the rise of popularity of places like Smithdown and Lark Lane, there has been a mirrored rise in popularity to Allerton Road I feel, especially with some of the fantastic new independent businesses that have opened.
"It's definitely a thriving hub for hospitality venues and despite the financial difficulties we've all seen this year the one consistent thing is people looking for a good time. Whether it's a few pints of an evening or brunching, the street is always chocker with people looking for somewhere to go and relax. Allerton Road feels to me like the place to be right now, but I am biased."
When asked about what she would like to see from Allerton Road going forward, Victoria said: " The road could do with a bit more of a selection of things, but I think we’re on par at the moment, there are daytime activities and activity at night-time.
"You don’t want the balance to be upset. Like for instance, the High Street in Wavertree, it’s been hit hard, as has Garston Village. I quite often drive through it and you can feel the big sense of community in that area, they could do something down there."
She continued: "We have to keep this road and what we have here. This has got a bit of everything. People are thankful for Allerton Road and people respect it."
Both Dan and Ethan mentioned that they would like to see Allerton Road's cinema return. The street's Odeon closed in 2009 and is now a gym. As well as that, they hope the spirit of independence will continue to thrive.
Dan said: "I'd love to see even more high quality, locally run, independent businesses opening. Independence is a huge part of our ethos as a company.
"We stock local produce/products in our shop. We try to keep our cafe menu as local and seasonal as possible, so more like minded businesses can only provide positive things to our local economy.
"Of course, it's worth saying that it would be naïve to not see the value of the chain establishments and the positive things they do provide, particularly with regards to things like jobs for the younger people of our area. There's just something you get from an independent with regards to the feel, the atmosphere and how personable the place is that you truly can't get anywhere else.
"Independent business is a direct mirror image of the Allerton Road community. I would love our much missed local cinema to re-open again though by the way, I really miss that place".
Likewise, Ethan said: "What I really miss about Allerton Road is the cinema. I was only young when that was going, but if that was here now, I don’t know what else you would need on Allerton Road.
"Some more independent clothes shops would be great. I’d love to see some trainer shops, like what they have on Bold Street.
"A lot of the shops are charity shops - I don’t know anywhere that you’d come if you were going out at the weekend and needed a new pair of jeans. You’d go to town for that, but it would be cool if we had that here.
"It’d be great if you could have a full day on Allerton Road, you could have breakfast, go shopping, go to the cinema, go to a restaurant and have a pint."
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